The history of the former official presidential residence "Los Pinos" dates back to 1935, when President Lázaro Cárdenas decided that Chapultepec Castle was too ostentatious to live in during his six-year term, choosing instead to move to the "Los Pinos" ranch. This set a precedent for subsequent administrations to embrace the idea of residing there and, over time, constructing much larger facilities to better accommodate official functions.
Consequently, the initial 1947 design by architect Manuel Giraud Esteva—a French-style house—was gradually modified through adjustments by engineer Fernando Parra Hernández, serving as the residence for 14 heads of state over the years. However, during his election campaign, current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador placed special emphasis on maintaining his existing lifestyle, promising not to reside at the estate.
In line with this commitment, on December 1, following his inauguration ceremony, Andrés Manuel López Obrador officially opened the Los Pinos Cultural Complex, a site that will be integrated into the 600 hectares of the Chapultepec Forest and will host recreational activities tailored to the public through a cultural agenda yet to be defined.
This article was written by Mónica Arellano. The translation is powered by AI.
